Compartnetalized substrate processing chamber

ABSTRACT

A process chamber for semiconductor wafers is formed of multiple compartments. A first compartment is provided for supplying an isolated environment for processing the wafers, and a second compartment is provided, in selective communication with the first compartment, to load and unload wafers from the chamber. The wafer handling equipment is located in the second compartment to isolate it from the process environment, and thus form a clean, non-contaminating, environment for the wafer handling equipment. When the chamber must be cleaned, only the first compartment must be cleaned, as no processing occurs in the second chamber. Therefore, the entire first chamber may be removed for cleaning, and replaced with a clean first compartment to decrease chamber turnaround time during chamber cleaning operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing,wherein integrated circuits and other devices are formed on a substrate.More particularly, the present invention relates to processing chambersuseful for forming microelectronic devices on semiconductor wafers andother substrates.

2. Background of the Art

Semiconductor processing chambers are used to provide processenvironments for the fabrication of integrated circuits and othersemiconductor devices on wafers. To form the integrated circuits on thewafers, they may be sequentially processed, first in a depositionchamber in which a film layer of a metal, dielectric or insulatormaterial is deposited on the wafer, then in a lithographic processchamber wherein a mask is formed on the deposited film layer, and thenin an etch chamber where selected portions of the previously depositedfilm layer are etched. One or more ion implant and passivation steps mayalso be used to process the wafer. By repetitively depositing a filmlayer on the wafer, forming a mask over the film layer, and thenselectively etching areas of the film layer exposed by the mask, anintegrated circuit device may be fabricated on the wafer.

Most prior art semiconductor etch and deposition chambers have severalcommon features. For example, most such chambers are built around avacuum enclosure in which the wafer is received for processing. A gasinlet having a mass flow controller, and a throttled exhaust coupled toa vacuum pump through a gate valve, communicate with the chamberenclosure to provide the process gas flow and the vacuum conditionsnecessary for wafer processing. A wafer support member is located withinthe enclosure to provide a secure resting place for the wafer in theenclosure during the deposition or etch process. A slit valve extendsthrough the enclosure wall to allow a robot blade to place the wafer on,and remove the wafer from, the support member.

To perform the etch or deposition process step in the chamber, a processgas is flowed through the vacuum enclosure. The gas may, as withchemical vapor deposition, deposit a film on the wafer, or the gas mayprovide disassociated gas atoms which, when exposed to an electric fieldin the enclosure, are excited into a plasma. The plasma may form an etchplasma to selectively etch a film layer already deposited on the wafer,or the plasma may be used to sputter a target, as with physical vapordeposition, to provide material to form a deposition film layer on thewafer. After the film layer is deposited on the wafer, or after thedeposition layer previously formed on the wafer is etched, the processgas is evacuated from the enclosure and the wafer is removed from theenclosure through the slit valve.

During each of the aforementioned processes, a film layer is also formedon the exposed surfaces of the enclosure, including the surfaces of theenclosure walls, the support member, the slit valve, the enclosureinlet, and even within chamber support equipment including the enclosureexhaust, and the pump. The film layer formed on the chamber surfacesmay, as with deposition processes, be primarily comprised of thedeposition layer material, or, as with etch processes, may be primarilycomprised of by-products of etching. This film layer is friable and, ifleft in place, could form contaminant particles in the enclosure whichcould deposit on the wafer. Where a contaminant particle of sufficientsize deposits on a wafer, one or more semiconductor devices being formedon the wafer will be defective. Therefore, the enclosure must beperiodically cleaned to remove these contaminants.

To clean the interior surfaces of the chamber, the cover, or anotheraccess panel, of the vacuum enclosure is removed to expose the interiorsurfaces of the enclosure. The film layer formed on the interior wallsand other surfaces of the enclosure is then cleaned with water and/orother materials. Additionally, the other chamber components that may beexposed to the process environment, such as the vacuum pump and thethrottle valve, are also removed from the chamber so that the interiorpump and valve surfaces may be cleaned. After cleaning, the pump, valvesand cover are replaced, and the enclosure is again pumped down to theoperating pressure. Because water is used to clean the enclosuresurfaces, and water is adsorbed on the metallic enclosure surfacesduring the cleaning process, the water must be removed from theenclosure before a satisfactory, stable, vacuum pressure can bemaintained in the chamber. Therefore, the chamber is "baked out", at anelevated temperature, to help drive the water from the enclosuresurfaces and thus provide a "dry" enclosure environment in which astable vacuum may be maintained. This bake out period typically lasts atleast 8 hours.

The time required to clean and bake out the process chamber is "downtime" for the user of the process chamber, because no wafer processingcan occur in the chamber during these periods. The amount of chamberdown time is further compounded when the process chamber is coupled tomultiple other process chambers through a transfer chamber, and theprocess chamber slit valve must be cleaned. The slit valve must be openduring at least a period of the time it is being cleaned. Because theprocess chamber cover is removed to provide access to the slit valve,the open slit valve communicates ambient conditions to the transferchamber when it is cleaned. Additionally, water or other materials maycontact the transfer chamber surfaces when the slit valve is open duringcleaning of the slit valve or chamber, thereby necessitating bake out ofthe transfer chamber to achieve a stable vacuum after the processchamber is cleaned and resealed. During the period of time that the slitvalve is open to the transfer chamber, communication between thetransfer chamber and all of the other process chambers must beinterrupted to ensure that the cleaning of the one process chamber doesnot contaminate any of the other process chambers linked to the transferchamber. Therefore, each of the other process chambers linked to thetransfer chambers cannot be used while the process chamber slit valve isbeing cleaned, or, only those wafers already placed in the other processchambers at the time the slit valve is opened can be processed, andthose wafers cannot be removed from the other process chambers until theslit valve is closed to isolate the transfer chamber and the transferchamber is pumped down and, if necessary, baked out.

In addition to the down time attributable to the cleaning and baking outof the process chamber, many chamber maintenance procedures contributeto chamber down time. For example, servicing of the pump and the pumpthrottle valve often contributes to down time. In the typical prior artprocess chamber, the throttle valve is located intermediate of thechamber enclosure and the pump. If the throttle valve must be serviced,or must be cleaned without the need to clean the pump, the pump muststill be removed to provide access to the throttle valve. The timeneeded to remove the pump and the throttle valve is substantiallygreater than would be necessary to remove the throttle valve alone, andthis time difference contributes to chamber downtime. Additionally, oncethe pump is removed from the chamber, and the interior surfaces thereofare exposed to the atmosphere, the pump itself must be baked out orotherwise stabilized before the pump can maintain a stable vacuumpressure.

The existence of moving parts within the chamber enclosure, such as theintermediate wafer support used to transfer the wafer from a robot bladeto the support member, are also a source of chamber down time. Themoveable parts within the chamber enclosure receive a deposition orcontaminant layer during the use of the chamber because they are exposedto the process environment within the chamber. This contaminant layer isa primary source of particle contaminants on the wafer because themovement of these parts tends to free portions of the contaminant layerdeposited thereon during processing. Therefore, these surfaces must beperiodically cleaned which increases the time needed to clean thechamber.

One prior art device known to applicants maintained a processenvironment in a separate compartment from the substrate loadingenvironment, and thus at least partially isolated the processenvironment from the substrate loading equipment used to position thesubstrates on a support member. This multi-station device, known as anEclipse sputter tool which has been available from MRC, included a largemain chamber connected, through a fire wall, to a plurality of separateprocessing stations. Each processing station was located on the exteriorof the firewall over a chamber aperture. A plurality of substrateheaters were located within the main chamber, and each heater wasdedicated to a particular processing station. A large rotatable transferplate, having a plurality of apertures therein, was locatedsubstantially parallel to the firewall. A substrate could be supportedwithin each of the apertures in the rotating plate, so that eachsubstrate could be moved within the main chamber to be positioned inalignment with each of the firewall apertures, and thus in alignmentwith each of the processing stations.

The MRC multi-station tool was used to sequentially process substratesthrough one or more of the processing stations, wherein a sputterenvironment is maintained in each of the processing stations. Inoperation, the substrates were loaded into the apertures in the rotatingplate at a load position, and rotated through the entire multi-stationtool for processing. To perform the processing steps on the substrates,the substrates are first aligned over the individual processingstations, and the substrate heaters were moved from a retracted positionwithin the main chamber to an extended position. The heaters included aplate portion, which engaged the backside of the substrates within therotating wall apertures to heat the substrates, and an extending annularwall, which engaged against the rotating plate and pressed the rotatingplate against the firewall. Seals were provided at the interface of theannular wall against the rotating plate, and between the rotating plateand the firewall, to create a sealed station for the sputter process.Once all of the heaters were moved into their extended positions, asputter deposition environment would be created in each of the processstations. After the process was completed in the process stations, eachof the heaters were retracted from their respective process chambers andthe rotating plate was rotated to position the substrates at the nextprocessing station.

The configuration of the MRC multi-station tool has several inherentlimitations. In particular, the tool is inherently prone tocross-contamination between the stations, because a portion of therotating plate is exposed to each process environment as the substratesare rotated for processing in each of the processing stations. Thus,where different materials are deposited on the substrates in differentprocessing stations, impurities, consisting of materials other thanthose present in the specific processing stations, can enter the mainchamber when released from the rotating plate. Additionally, traceamounts of the process environment maintained in each of the processingstations would be discharged into the main chamber when the heaters areretracted from the individual processing stations. These trace amountsof contaminants commingle and build up in the main chamber and in theprocess stations, to the point where the entire multi-station tool,including the large main chamber, must be cleaned to preventcontamination of the process environments maintained in the individualprocessing stations. Finally, the tool is slow in operation, becausethroughput is limited by the slowest process being performed in thetool.

There exists a need in the art for a processing chamber in which theturnaround time for chamber cleaning is reduced, and an arrangementwherein multiple chambers may be connected to a transfer chamber yet thecleaning of a given chamber does not require other chambers connected tothe transfer chamber to be shut down for the cleaning of the processchamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for processing ofwafers in a processing chamber wherein the processing chamber is dividedinto at least two compartments, and the processing environment ismaintainable in only one of the two compartments. The chamber includesat least a first compartment, a second compartment, and a moveable wallwhich may be positioned over a communication aperture between the twocompartments to seal the first compartment and the second compartmentfrom each other.

In one aspect of the invention, the entire compartment in which theprocess environment is maintained may be removed, and replaced with aclean, previously baked out compartment, thereby enabling fasterturnaround when the process compartment requires cleaning. Additionally,if the process chamber is cleaned in place, the moveable wall may beplaced over the communication aperture to prevent contact between thecleaning material and the surfaces of the non-process compartment, andto prevent exposure of the non-process compartment to atmosphericconditions when the upper compartment is opened. By isolating thenon-process compartment from the cleaning materials and from atmosphericconditions, it is contemplated that shorter bake out times may bepossible than in the prior art where the entire chamber had to be bakedout after cleaning.

In an additional aspect of the invention, the moveable wall isconfigured as the wafer support member and is positionable in the secondcompartment to allow placement of a wafer thereon or removal of a wafertherefrom, and is further positionable within the chamber to seal theaperture between the two compartments and simultaneously to position thewafer thereon within the first compartment for processing.

In a further aspect of the invention, the valve used to throttle thepump orifice may be removed from the chamber without removing the pump,and without exposing the pumping components of the pump to theatmosphere. In another aspect of the invention, the slit valve and/orthe wafer handling equipment are provided in the second compartment, sothat minimal moveable parts are exposed to the process environment. Byisolating the moveable parts in the second compartment, and thusreducing or eliminating the contamination thereof by the processenvironment, the number of wafer process operations which may occur inthe chamber before the moveable parts must be cleaned is increased. In astill further aspect of the invention, the intermediate wafer supportfor transferring a wafer from the robot arm and onto the support memberincludes a plurality of pins received in the support member andselectively sealed therewith, and a pin actuator disposed within thesecond compartment and thereby advantageously isolated from the processenvironment and its contaminants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the processchamber of the present invention configured as an etch chamber;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the process chamber of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the process chamber of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the process chamber of FIG. 1, wherein thewafer handling member is positioned to support the wafer in the chamber;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the process chamber of FIG. 1, wherein themoveable wall has been positioned to isolate the process environmentfrom certain portions of the chamber;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the moveable wall of the chamberof FIG. 1, showing the power connection of the electrostatic chuck;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the moveable wall of the chamberof FIG. 1 showing the preferred configuration of the wafer support pins;and

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic top view of a cluster tool utilizing aplurality of the compartmentalized substrate processing chambers of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a chamber having at least twocompartments therein, wherein a process environment is maintainable inonly one of the compartments, and the slit valve and wafer handlingequipment are located in the other of the compartments. In the preferredembodiment of the invention the chamber as shown at 10 of FIG. 1includes a first compartment 12 in which the process environment may bemaintained, a second compartment 14 located adjacent to, and selectivelycommunicable with, the first compartment 12 through an aperture 16common to both, and a moveable wall 18 selectively positionable withinat least the second compartment 14 to selectively seal the aperture 16between the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14. Theprocess environment maintainable in the first compartment 12 mayinclude, but is not limited to, plasma etch processes, physical vapordeposition processes wherein a target is sputtered to provide adeposition material or to enhance a chemical vapor deposition process,or chemical vapor deposition wherein a chemical vapor forms a film layeron the wafer. Both the first compartment 12 and the second compartment14 are individually sealed enclosures in which a vacuum environment maybe maintained. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the firstcompartment 12 may be removed from the chamber 10 for cleaning andreplaced with a second, identical, first compartment 12. By replacingthe first compartment 12 with a clean, previously baked out firstcompartment 12, the time required to prepare the chamber 10 for theprocessing of wafers 8 therein is significantly reduced when the chamber10 requires cleaning.

Both the first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 arepreferably provided as separate sealable enclosures which may bemaintained at a hard vacuum, and which are interconnected by a pluralityof bolts, or other removable fasteners (not shown). The firstcompartment 12 preferably includes a base 20 through which the aperture16 extends for communication between the first compartment 12 and thesecond compartment 14, an exhaust orifice 22 (best shown in FIGS. 3 to5), and an upper cover flange 24 over which a seal ring 30 and a cover28 are received. Preferably, the entire architecture of the firstcompartment 12 is provided by machining a single piece of stock, such asaluminum, to provide the surfaces and features of the first compartment12. By machining the first compartment 12 from a single piece of stock,no joints or seams will be present in the body of the first compartment12 which reduces the number of potential leak paths through the firstcompartment 12. Where the chamber 10 is configured as a sputteringchamber, the cover 28 includes a target (not shown) mounted thereon,preferably in conjunction with an internal magnet structure (not shown).One such target and magnet structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No.5,242,566, Parker, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

The second compartment 14 preferably includes a tub shaped housing 41having the chamber slit valve 6 extending therethrough, an uppermounting flange 43 extending about the upper terminus of the tub portion41 and a pump support flange 47 cantilevered outwardly from the tubportion 41. The second compartment 14 does not include a separate cover.Instead, the underside of the base 20 of the first compartment 12 isreceived over the upper mounting flange 43 and the pump support flange47. The portion of the base 20 received over the upper mounting flange43 forms the top of the second compartment 14, such that the aperture 16is disposed to communicate with both of the compartments 12, 14. A sealring is disposed in a seal groove 21 extending about the periphery ofthe upper mounting flange, to provide a seal extending about theaperture 16 and sealing the underside of the base 20 to the uppermounting flange 43.

To maintain a vacuum pressure in the chamber 10, a pump 32, such as aturbo molecular or cryogenic pump, is fluidly coupled to the exhaustorifice 22 through a gate valve 37 which may be positioned to isolatethe pump 32 from the exhaust orifice, and a poppet valve 34 iscommunicable with the exhaust orifice 22 to throttle the pump 32. Asbest shown in FIG. 3 to 5, the exhaust orifice 22 includes a pumpaperture 36 communicable with a gate valve 37 and the pump 32, and apoppet valve aperture 38, facing the pump aperture 36, into which apoppet valve 34 is mounted. The gate valve 37 is provided to selectivelyseal the pump 32 from the chamber 10. The poppet valve 34 includes aplate 40, which extends from an actuator in the poppet valve housing 42,to block selected portions or a portion of the cross section of theexhaust orifice 22. By blocking selected portions of the exhaust orificewith the plate 40, the poppet valve 34 is used as a throttle valve tothrottle the exhaust orifice. The pump 32 and the gate valve 37 aremounted to the pump support flange 47, but the exhaust orifice 22 isformed entirely by the upper compartment 12. The exhaust orifice wall,specifically the pump aperture portion 36 thereof, is preferably sleevedinto the pump support flange 47 such that when the base 20 of the firstcompartment 12 is removed from the chamber 10 the pump 32 may remain inplace on the underside of the pump support flange 47 but the exhaustorifice 22 may be removed for cleaning and/or replacement. A seal ringis provided in a groove 48 in the pump flange, and seals the interfacebetween the pump support flange 47 and the pump aperture 36. By mountingthe poppet valve 34 on a separate aperture from that with which the pump32 communicates, the poppet valve 34 and the pump 32 may be separatelyserviced or removed from the chamber 10. Further, by closing the gatevalve 37, the pump 32 may be isolated from the first compartment 12 whenthe first compartment is cleaned or when the poppet valve 34 isserviced, and the first compartment may be isolated from exposure toatmosphere when the pump 32 is removed.

The pump 32 is preferably capable of pumping both compartments 12, 14down to pressures in the 10⁻⁷ tort range when the moveable wall 18 isretracted into the second compartment 14 to permit communication betweenthe second compartment 14 and the pump 32. Once the chamber 10 is pumpedto this low pressure, the moveable wall 18 is positioned, as will bedescribed further herein, to isolate the second compartment 14 from thefirst compartment 12. A process gas is then flowed into the firstenclosure 12 through a gas inlet having a mass flow controller (notshown) such that the flow rate of the gas into the first compartment 12,and the pumping rate of the gas from the first compartment 12 by thepump 32, are controlled to provide a desired concentration and pressureof the process gas in the first compartment 12. The gas may, if desired,be utilized to deposit a film layer on wafer 8 with or without beingenergized into a plasma; or it may be energized into a plasma to etch afilm layer or to sputter a target in the first compartment 12 to providematerial to form a deposition layer on the wafer 8. Once the depositingor etching of a film layer on the wafer 8 is completed, the pump 32evacuates the first compartment 12 to equalize the pressure in the twocompartments 12, 14, and remove the process gases and potentialcontaminants and the moveable wall 18 may then be moved to link the twocompartments 12, 14 again through the aperture 16.

When the chamber 10 is configured to provide a plasma processenvironment, for example to perform etch, in the first compartment 12,and the pressure in the second compartment 14 approaches or exceeds thatof the first compartment 12, a plasma could undesirably form in thesecond compartment 14. The pressure in the second compartment 14 couldapproach or exceed, that of the first compartment 12 where the chamberslit valve 6 leaks and allows gases present in an adjacent transferchamber, or in a wafer loading cassette attached to the exterior of thechamber 10 at the slit valve 6, to enter the second compartment 14. Toensure that the second compartment 14 pressure is less than that of thefirst compartment 12, and thereby ensure that the gases therein are notexcited into a plasma, a secondary vacuum pump 33 may be ported to thesecond compartment 14.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the moveable wall 18 is supported within thesecond compartment 14 by a hollow stem 44 extending through a sealedaperture 46 in the base of the tub shaped housing 41. The sealedaperture 46 preferably includes a bellows extending from the undersideof the moveable wall 18 to the base of the second enclosure 14 toprotect the stem 44 if any process environment materials should enterthe second compartment 14 and to provide additional sealing between thesecond compartment 14 and the exterior of the chamber 10. The stem 44 iscoupled, on the exterior of the housing 41, to a drive member 49 (shownin FIGS. 3 to 5) such as a hydraulic or pneumatic piston, a lead screwcoupled to a stepper motor, or other drive apparatus. The stem 44 ispositioned by the drive member 49 to position the moveable wall 18 in aretracted position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and an extended positionas shown in FIG. 5. The interior of the stem 44 is configured to supplyutilities, such as gases, coolants and electricity to the moveable wall18 as required by the process application of the chamber.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the details of construction of themoveable wall 18 and the sealing engagement of the moveable wall 18 withthe base 20 of the first compartment 12 to seal the aperture 16, areshown. In the preferred embodiment of the multiple compartmentconfiguration shown in the Figures and described herein, the moveablewall 18 is configured for etching of a film layer on the wafer 8. Tocause the plasma to etch the film layer on the wafer 8, the moveablewall 18 must be configured as a cathode, i.e., a negative voltage mustbe maintainable on the moveable wall 18 with respect to the enclosureformed by the first compartment 12 which is preferably grounded.However, the moveable wall 18 must also be isolated from the walls ofthe two compartments 12, 14, to prevent grounding of the conductiveportion of the moveable wall 18. Therefore, the moveable wall 18includes an outer, electrically insulative base 60, an intermediateconductive member 62 to electrically bias the moveable wall 18 as acathode, a pedestal 63 mounted over the conductive member 62, and anelectrostatic chuck 64 received on the pedestal 63.

The insulative base 60 of the moveable wall 18 is received on the upperend 44a of the stem 44 and is preferably a cylindrical member configuredto be received partially within the aperture 16, and partially againstthe underside of the base 20 of the first compartment 12 adjacent to theaperture 16, when the moveable wall 18 is positioned in its extremeextended position as shown in FIG. 5. The insulative base 60 includes anupper cylindrical recess 66 bounded by an annular wall 65 and acircumferential seal flange 68 extending outwardly from the lowerterminus of the annular wall 65. The seal flange 68 includes an annularupwardly extending lip 70 thereon, and an annular sealing surface 71extending from the lip 70 to the edge of the insulative base 60. Theconductive member 62 is received within the recess 66, and the pedestal63, with an electrostatic chuck 64 attached to the upper surfacethereof, is bolted or otherwise firmly attached to the conductive member62. When the moveable wall 18 is positioned in the extended position forthe processing of the wafer 8 in the first compartment 12, the annularwall 65 extends partially inwardly of the first compartment 12 and theaperture 16, and the wafer 8 is received over the electrostatic chuck 64as shown in FIG. 2. To seal the engagement of the insulative base 60against the underside of the base 20, a seal groove 21 having a dovetailprofile is provided in the underside of the base 20 and extends aroundthe periphery of the aperture 16, and an o-ring or other type of seal 25is received therein as best shown in FIG. 2.

During processing, the moveable wall 18 is in its extreme extendedposition as just described, and supports the wafer 8 within processingfirst compartment 12 while sealing compartment 12. Both wafer 8 andportions of the moveable wall 18 thus can be exposed to the processenvironment maintained in the first compartment 12. To protect theexposed portions of the moveable wall 18 from the process environment, ashroud 72 extends from the seal flange 68 upwardly over the outersurface of the annular wall 65 and terminates inwardly of the outer edgeof the pedestal 63 within an annular groove 73 disposed in the upper,outer, edge of the pedestal 63.

To properly secure the water to the moveable wall, to maintain the wafer8 at an acceptable temperature, and, in the case of plasma etching, toprovide the electric power to energize gases in the first compartment 12into a plasma, the moveable wall 18 must be supplied with differentutilities. Typically the utilities include coolants, and electricalpower for an electrostatic chuck and/or an auxiliary electric resistanceheater. Alternatively, a vacuum line may be extended to the moveablewall 18 for vacuum chucking of a wafer 8. Preferably, the utilityconnections to the moveable wall 18 are provided through the hollowinterior of the stem 44, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,501,Tepman, et al., incorporated herein by reference.

Where the chamber 10 is configured as an etch chamber, the wafer 8 andthe moveable wall 18 typically must be cooled to remove the heattransferred into the wafer 8 from the etch plasma. Therefore, in an etchapplication, the conductive member 62 preferably includes coolingpassages 67 through which a coolant such as water is flowed, and theelectrostatic chuck 64 includes a plurality of coolant grooves (notshown) therein, into which a backside cooling gas is flowed from a gassupply arrangement 69 passing through the insulative base 60, theconductive member 62 and the pedestal 63. In the embodiment of theinvention shown in FIG. 1, the coolant grooves are provided by machininga plurality of circular grooves (e.g., 67) and at least one radialdistribution groove into the underside of the conductive member 62, andfixing a plate 76, having coolant supply and coolant return aperturesextending therethrough, over the underside of the conductive member 62.Conventional cooling channel and backside gas distribution systemsuseful with the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,842,683, Cheng, et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference. As referenced above, the gas and coolant lines to supplythe utilities for these features are extended through the stem 44.

Where the chamber 10 is used for chemical vapor deposition or physicalvapor deposition, a heating element (not shown) may be located withinthe conductive member 62 to heat the wafer 8 to enhance the propertiesand distribution of the deposited film layer. One such heaterarrangement suitable for use with the present invention is an electricresistance heater arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,501, Tepmanet al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.Again, the power connection for this heater is preferably provided byextending a power cable (not shown) through the hollow interior of thestem 44.

Referring now to FIG. 6, to supply electrical power to the electrostaticchuck 64, a strap 120 is extended from the electrostatic chuck 64 andthrough an aperture 118 in the pedestal 63 where it is attached to theunderside of the pedestal 63 with an adhesive. This strap 120 isconnected to a pin connecter 122 disposed within a pin connecter boreextending through the conductive member 62, which pin connector 122includes a contact pin 123 received therein and contacted with theconductive portion of the strap 120. A power supply lead 125 extendsthrough the hollow interior of the stem 44 (not shown in FIG. 6) and anaperture in the insulative base 60 to feed the electrical power to thepin connector 122. Preferably the electrostatic chuck 64 is a thinflexible planar member having a central thin film conductive core 134encapsulated within dielectric layers 130, 132, and the strap 120 is anextension of the core 134 and electrostatic layers 130, 132. To providea continuous electric contact between the pin connector 122 and thestrap 120, the dielectric layer 130 of the strap 120 is removed toexpose a portion of the core 134 thereof, and this exposed portion isaligned with the contact pin 123 of the pin connector 122. The aperture118 in the pedestal 63 provides a potential leak path from the firstcompartment to atmosphere and from the backside of the wafer to thespace between the conductive member 64 and the pedestal 63. Therefore, aseal ring 127 extends circumferentially around both the pin connector122 in the conductive member 64 and the aperture 118 through theconductive member at the interface of the pedestal 63 and the conductivemember 64, and a second seal ring 129 is disposed about the outerperimeter of the pin connector bore and seals the underside of thepedestal 63 with the strap 120 and the conductive member 62 at theperiphery of the pin connector bore.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, the moveable wall 18 must providea complete seal between the first compartment 12 and the secondcompartment 14. Therefore, it is preferable that the movable wall 18 bea solid, sealed member. Where the intermediate wafer support 50 (bestappreciated from FIGS. 3 to 5) is configured as an horseshoe shapedmember through which the stem of the moveable wall 18 may pass to pickup, or disgorge, the substrate, the only connection through the moveablewall 18 will be the sealed connection for the electrostatic chuck 64electric feed. However, the preferred intermediate wafer support 50requires the use of support pins 80 selectively extending through themoveable wall 18 to assist in the transfer of the wafer 8 from the robotblade 9 onto the moveable wall 18, and the electrostatic chuck powerconnection, the heater power supply (where used), the coolantconnection, the power connection to bias the conductive member 62 as acathode (not shown) and the backside cooling gas connection providepotential leak paths between the first compartment 12 and the secondcompartment 14. By providing the electrical power, gas and coolantconnections for the moveable wall 18 through the stem 44, any leak paththrough these connections will communicate between the exterior of thechamber 10 and the first compartment 12. Additionally, the sealing ofthe pin conductor bore, and the interface of the pedestal 63 and theconductive member 62 around both the pin connecter bore and the strapaperture 118, prevents leakage through the strap aperture 118. However,the apertures in the moveable wall 18 through which the pins 80 extendprovide a potential direct leak path between the first compartment 12and the second compartment 14. Therefore the pins 80 must be sealablewithin the moveable wall 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 7, the preferred configuration of theintermediate wafer support 50, including the pins 80, is shown. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention the intermediate support member 50includes the plurality of support pins 80 (only one shown in FIG. 7)received in bores 82 in the moveable wall 18, and a pin actuator 84(shown over its entire length in FIG. 3) received between the moveablewall 18 and the base of the second compartment 14. The pin actuator 84cooperates with the pins 80 and the moveable wall 18 to extend the pins80 from the moveable wall 18 to support a wafer 8 above the moveablewall 18 and on the pins 80 as shown in FIG. 3, and retract the pins 80inwardly of the moveable wall 18 to position the wafer 8 on theelectrostatic chuck 64 as shown in FIG. 5.

As best shown in FIG. 7, each of the pins 80 includes a lower majordiameter stem 86, an upper minor diameter stem 88, and an intermediateflange 90. The aforementioned bores 82 in the moveable wall 18 areconfigured to allow restrained, vertical movement of the pins 80 in themoveable wall 18. Each bore 82 includes a minor diameter portion 92extending through the insulative base 60 of the moveable wall 18 and inwhich the major diameter stem 86 is received, a major diameter portion94 extending through the conductive member 62 in which the intermediateflange 90 is received, and an upper portion 96 extending through theelectrostatic chuck 64 and through which the minor diameter stem 88 isreceived. The intersection of the minor diameter portion 92 and themajor diameter portion 94 forms an annular seal ledge 95. The relativesizes of the portions 92, 94 and 96 of the bores 82 limits the verticalmovement of the intermediate flange 90 in the bore 82, and thus limitsthe total vertical movement of the pins 80. To selectively seal thebores 82, a seal groove 91 extends inwardly of the underside of theintermediate flange 90, and a seal ring 93, such as an o-ring seal, isdisposed in the seal groove 91 to seal against the annular seal ledge 95when the pins 80 are retracted into the moveable wall 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the pin actuator 84 includes a pindrive member 99 disposed on the exterior of the base of the secondenclosure 14, a drive shaft 98 extending through the a sealed connectionin the base of the second enclosure 14, and a pin positioning plate 100located intermediate of the moveable wall 18 and the base of the secondenclosure 14. A bellows is also provided about the drive shaft 98 and itextends from the base of the second compartment 14 to the underside ofthe pin positioning plate 100 to further seal the sealed connection ofthe drive shaft 98 through the base of the second compartment 14 andprovide a protective barrier around the portion of the drive shaft 98received within the second compartment 14. The pin drive member 99 maybe a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, a lead nut on a rotating leadscrew, a worm drive or other apparatus capable of positioning the pinpositioning plate 100 at various vertical positions within the firstenclosure 14.

Referring still to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the operation and cooperation ofthe pins 80 and the pin actuator 84 are shown. Referring first to FIG.3, the moveable wall 18, with the pins 80 therein, is shown forpositioning of a wafer 8 in the chamber 10 by the support blade 9, orthe removal of a wafer 8 from the chamber 10 by the support blade 9. Inthis position, the pin positioning plate 100 is fully retracted to thebase of the second compartment 14 by the pin drive member 99, and themoveable wall 18 is retracted below the position where the slit valve 6extends through the second enclosure 14. With the moveable wall 18 andpin positioning plate 100 in this retracted position, the top of thepins 80, and the top of the moveable wall 18, are positioned below theslit valve 6 so that the robot blade 9 may move freely inwardly andoutwardly of the second compartment 14 to position a wafer above themoveable wall 18 as shown in FIG. 3.

Once the wafer 8 is positioned in the second compartment 14 above themoveable wall 18, the pin drive member 99 moves the pin positioningplate 100 inwardly of the second compartment 14 to move the pins 80upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 4 and thereby lift the wafer 8from the robot blade 9 and onto the pins 80. Then, with the wafer 8supported over the moveable wall 18 on the pins 80, the support blade 9is retracted from the second enclosure 14. Once the support blade 9 iscleared from the second enclosure 14 the moveable wall 18 moves upwardlyon the pins 80 while the pin positioning plate 100, and thus the pins80, remain stationary, and the pins 80 become recessed into the moveablewall 18 as the moveable wall 18 moves upwardly in the second compartment14. The moveable wall 18 then continues to move to its extreme extendedposition shown in FIG. 5, to position the wafer 8 in the firstcompartment 12 for processing. Once the wafer 8 is resting on theelectrostatic chuck 64 which forms the uppermost surface of the moveablewall 18, the pins 80 have moved under their own weight down to thebottom of pin bore 82 to become fully recessed into the apertures 82 inthe moveable wall 18. Also, with the pins 80 recessed into the moveablewall 18, the seal 93 in the underside of the pin flange 90 engagesagainst the annular seal flange 95 within the bore 82 as shown in FIG. 7to seal the pin bore 82. The pin 80 is of sufficient mass to sealagainst the annular seal flange 95 in the pin bore 82 despite slightdifferences in pressure in the first compartment 12 and the secondcompartment 14. Thus, the seals 93 in the bores 82, in conjunction withthe engagement of the seal 25 received in the underside of the base 20with the sealing surface 71 of the seal flange 68 of the insulative base60 and the sealing of the strap aperture 118, enable a complete sealbetween the two compartments 12, 14 when the moveable wall is positionedin the extended position as shown in FIG. 5. Further, the underside ofthe first compartment base 20 includes an annular recess 23 locatedbetween the seal groove 21 and the aperture 16. Thus, when the moveablewall 18 is located against the underside of the base 20 of the firstcompartment 12, the annular lip 70 extending upwardly from the moveablewall 18 extends into the annular recess 23 in the underside of the firstcompartment 12 to isolate the seal 25 from the aperture 16 and therebyprevent any particles or other contaminants that may fall from the firstenclosure 12 downwardly onto the seal flange 68 from coming into contactwith the seal 25.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a simplified view of a cluster toolimplementation of the present invention is shown. The cluster tool 200includes a plurality of chambers 10a-c, each of which is identical tothe processing chamber 10 of the above-described figures. Each iscoupled, through corresponding loadlocks 202a-c, to a transfer chamber204. Each of the loadlocks 202a-c align with the respective chamber slitvalve 6 (not shown in FIG. 8) of each of the compartmentalized processchambers 10a-c. The transfer chamber 204 is also coupled, through aloadlock 202d, to a loadlock chamber 206.

Each of the individual compartmentalized process chambers 10a-c and thetransfer chamber 204 of the cluster tool 200 are preferably maintainedat a vacuum pressure during wafer processing. Preferably, the pressurein the transfer chamber 204 may be maintained independently of thepressure in any one of the compartmentalized process chambers 10a-c, byproviding a vacuum pump (not shown) for the transfer chamber 204.Additionally, the load lock chamber 206 may be opened to atmospherewhile isolated from the transfer chamber by a slit valve or other gatedevice (not shown) for the loading of a substrate into the cluster tool200, and then pumped down to an acceptable vacuum pressure by adedicated vacuum pump (not shown).

During the processing of substrates in the compartmentalized processingchambers 10a-c, the slit valves 6 (shown in FIG. 1) of thecompartmentalized process chambers 10a-c are preferably maintained in aclosed position. By maintaining the slit valve 6 in the closed position,gases in the transfer chamber 204 cannot migrate or flow into the secondcompartments 14 (shown in FIG. 1) and the pressure in the secondcompartments 14 of the chambers 10a-c may be maintained below thepressure in the first compartments 12 to ensure that a plasma does notform in the second compartments 14 where the compartmentalized chambers10-c are configured as etch chambers. However, if the transfer chamber204 is maintained at a pressure sufficiently low, with respect to theprocess pressures maintained in the compartmentalized chambers 10a-c,then the slit valves 6 may remain open throughout the use of the clustertool 200, and they need be closed only during the replacement of thesecond compartments 12.

The configuration of the chamber 10 as including a first compartment 12in which the process environment is maintained, and a second compartment14 in which the intermediate wafer support 50 is deployed, enables asignificant improvement in the turnaround time for cleaning the chambercompared with the turnaround time for cleaning prior art chamberconfigurations. For example, the ability to quickly replace the firstcompartment 12 with a clean, pre-baked out, first compartment 12significantly reduces the chamber downtime for cleaning. Additionally,when the moveable wall 18 is cleaned, or where the first compartment 12is to be cleaned without being removed, the cleaning materials orprocesses can be maintained in the first compartment 12 by simply movingthe moveable wall 18 to its extreme extended position. The portions ofthe moveable wall exposed to the plasma, and thus in need of cleaning,will be positioned within the first compartment 12. Thus, no, orminimal, water or other cleaning materials will contact the surfaces ofthe second compartment 14. The position of the throttling poppet valve34 to allow servicing of the pump 32 separately from the throttlingpoppet valve 34 likewise decreases the down-time associated with chambercleaning. Further, the insulative base 60, shroud 72 and electrostaticchuck 64 are preferably fabricated from non-water absorbing materials,so that these components need not be baked out after cleaning.Therefore, the cycle time for cleaning the chamber 10 and returning itto production is reduced from over 8 hours to the time period necessaryto clean the moveable wall 18, replace the first compartment 12, andreestablish any connections to the first compartment 12. Further, theplacement of the slit valve 6 through the second compartment 14 wallprotects the slit valve 6 from exposure to the process environment.Therefore, the slit valve 6 does not require the periodic cleaning as isnecessary with the prior art chambers. Additionally, because themoveable wall 18 seals the second enclosure 14 from the processenvironment, the slit valve 6 may not need to be closed during theprocessing of a wafer 8, particularly where non-etch environments arerun in the first compartment, and it must be closed only when thechamber 10 is being serviced for cleaning. Thus, the slit valve 6 willbe opened and closed far fewer times than in prior art chambers, andthus will require minimal servicing. Also, because the slit valve 6 isnot exposed to the process environment and does not require the periodiccleaning necessitated by the construction of the prior art chambers, anyother chambers linked to the processing chamber 10 through a transferchamber 204 need not be shut in while one of the processing chamber 10is cleaned. Finally, the maintenance of a process chemistry cleanenvironment within the second compartment 14 will extend the life of thesecond compartment 14, the slit valve 6 and the intermediate wafersupport 50, and the drive mechanism for the moveable wall 18 becausethese components will not be subject to corrosive attack or contaminantsfrom the process gases and plasmas.

The maintenance of the intermediate wafer support 50 in the secondcompartment 14 also enables design changes in the process compartment,i.e., the first compartment 12, to reduce distortion in the electricfield where the chamber 10 is used for plasma processes such as plasmaetch or sputtering. For example, the absence of the asymmetricalintermediate wafer support 50 from the immediate vicinity of theelectric field used to support a plasma process environment reduces theasymmetries in the electric field which would otherwise be present inthe chamber. Additionally, the first compartment 12 may be madesubstantially symmetrical, such as by providing complete symmetry of thesecond enclosure surfaces such as the walls, cover 28 interior surfaceand moveable wall 18 surfaces about a vertical axis, to reduce electricfield distortion in the plasma without the need to compensate for theasymmetric intermediate wafer support 50. This may be accomplished byplacing the exhaust orifice 22 through the central top area of the cover28, thereby eliminating the cantilevered extending exhaust orifice 22 asshown in the Figures. Additionally, the gas supply would be provided byforming a circumferential channel in the cover 28. By modifying thesecond enclosure 12 in this way, and providing a moveable wall 18 thatis symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the stem 44, the firstcompartment will provide a symmetrical volume, at the base of which themoveable wall 18 and wafer 8 may be placed, to enhance even distributionof the process gases and the electrical field about the wafer 8.

The specific configuration of the chamber 10 to provide the separatefirst compartment 12 in which the process environment may be maintained,and a second compartment 14 which is isolated from the first compartment12 during processing, may be varied to address specific requirements ofthe process or the chamber. For example, the moveable wall 18 might behinged to selectively open or close the aperture 16. Alternatively, thepositions of the compartments may be inverted, so that the lowercompartment receives the process environment and the moveable wall 18moves downwardly to seal the aperture between the compartments.Likewise, the compartments may be placed side by side with the aperturethrough adjacent side walls of the compartments, so that the moveablewall moves horizontally to seal the aperture. Additionally, processesother than those specifically set forth herein may benefit from amultiple compartment chamber.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for processing substrates, comprising:a firstcompartment for maintaining a substrate processing environment therein,said compartment having a base; a second compartment having a moveablesubstrate support member therein; a common aperture between said firstcompartment and said second compartment, said common aperture throughsaid base being selectively sealable by a seal between said substratesupport member and said base to isolate the process environment in saidfirst compartment; and said first compartment including said base beingremovable and replaceable with an additional first compartment and base.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first compartment includes acover which is a one-piece removable element.
 3. The apparatus of claim1, wherein a portion of said base forms a common wall between said firstcompartment and said second compartment, and said common apertureextends through said common wall.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, whereinsaid substrate support member is positionable at a retracted position toexpose the contents of said second compartment to the environmentmaintainable in said first compartment, and in a extended positionwhereby said substrate support member contacts and seals to said commonwall and blocks said common aperture to isolate said first compartmentfrom said second compartment.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidadditional first compartment and base is cleaned and baked out beforeassembly into the chamber.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, which furtherincludes a pump flange common to said first and second compartments anddefining an exhaust passageway for said first compartment, said pumpflange terminating in a pump aperture and a valve aperture, said pumpflange being adapted to mount a vacuum pump communicating with said pumpaperture, said pump flange being further adapted to mount a first valvehaving an element moveable into and out of said passageway to block atleast a portion of said passageway between said first compartment andsaid pump.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, which further includes a secondvalve positioned between said pump flange and said pump, to seal thepump when the first valve, the first compartment, or both, are removed,or to seal the first valve and the first compartment when the pump isremoved.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:a support flangeextending from said second compartment, said flange defining an exhaustorifice for said first compartment, said exhaust orifice terminating ina pump aperture and a valve aperture defined in said support flange,said support flange being adaptable to support a vacuum pump incommunication with said pump aperture, and a valve in communication withsaid valve aperture capable of partially or fully blocking the exhaustpassageway between the pump and the first compartment.
 9. The apparatusof claim 8, in which said pump aperture and said valve aperture arealigned, and said support flange is adapted to mount said valve and saidpump in opposed relationship.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidsecond compartment includes a substrate loading aperture.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, in which a gate valve is provided in associationwith said loading aperture to open and close said loading aperture, saidsecond compartment being sealable by said gate valve together with thesubstrate support member so that said gate valve need not be exposed tothe substrate processing environment.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10,further including:a substrate transfer chamber coupled to said secondcompartment at said loading aperture; and a second processing chambercoupled to said transfer chamber; whereby said loading aperture may bemaintained in an open position during the processing of a substrate inthe first compartment.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further includinga gate device adjacent said loading aperture and selectivelypositionable to seal said loading aperture from either of said first andsecond compartments.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, in which a drivemember is provided within said second compartment to move said moveablesubstrate support member.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidsubstrate support member is positionable in a first position permittinga substrate to be extended through said loading aperture to position thesubstrate on, or to remove a substrate from, said second compartment,and a second position such that said substrate support member seals saidcommon aperture to isolate said first compartment from said secondcompartment and positions the substrate in said first compartment forprocessing.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said substratedsupport member includes a cathode therein.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein an etch process environment may be maintained in said firstcompartment.
 18. The apparatus of claims 1, wherein a physical vapordeposition process environment may be maintained in said firstcompartment.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a physical vapordeposition process environment may be maintained in said firstcompartment.
 20. The apparatus as in claim 1,wherein said firstcompartment including said base is sealed to said second compartmentthrough at least one O-ring sealing a gap between a set of matingsurfaces between said first compartment and base and said secondcompartment.
 21. A substrate processing chamber assemblycomprising:first compartment having a base; a second compartment, saidfirst and second compartments having a common boundary therebetweenformed from a portion of said base provided with a first aperturetherethrough, said second compartment being provided with a secondaperture spaced from said first aperture to enable a substrate to beintroduced into and removed from said second compartment; a substratesupport member disposed within said second compartment, said supportmember being moveable generally between a first position and a secondposition, said support member, when positioned in said first position,being positioned to receive a substrate thereon via said secondaperture, said support member, when positioned in said second position,being inserted into said first aperture so as to seal said firstaperture and simultaneously position a substrate supported on saidmember in said first compartment for processing therewithin; a substratetransport chamber communicating with said second compartment via saidsecond aperture, said transport chamber including a substrate transportarm, said transport arm adapted to communicate with at least a secondprocessing chamber assembly in like manner; and a gate devicecontrolling said second aperture, whereby during disassembly andmaintenance of said first compartment including said base of said firstprocessing chamber, the normal operation of said transport chamber aswell as of said second processing chamber assembly may continue.
 22. Anapparatus for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:a firstcompartment having a process environment selectively maintainabletherein and having a base; a second compartment; an aperture extendingthrough said base and thereby between said first compartment and saidsecond compartment; and a moveable wall dedicated to said firstcompartment and said second compartment and positionable in said secondcompartment to receive a wafer thereon and further positionable to sealsaid aperture to isolate said first compartment from said secondcompartment and to position the wafer in said first compartment forexposure of the wafer to the process environment selectively maintainedtherein wherein said base of said first compartment forms the cover ofsaid second compartment and is removable with said first compartmentfrom said second compartment.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, whereinsaid moveable wall includes an insulative member having an extendingseal flange thereon; andsaid seal flange is engageable against saidbase.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, further including a seal disposedin said base, said seal engageable with said seal flange when said sealflange is engaged against said base.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24,wherein said seal flange includes a seal protecting lip extendingtherefrom; andsaid base includes a recess therein, and said lip isreceivable in said recess.
 26. The apparatus of claim 22, furtherincluding:a pump aperture and a poppet valve aperture at least one ofwhich is disposed in said base; and a pump disposed on said pumpaperture and a poppet valve disposed on said poppet valve aperture;whereby said poppet valve is positioned to throttle said pump aperture.27. The apparatus of claim 22, further including an intermediate wafersupport in said second compartment and isolated from the processenvironment maintainable in said first compartment.
 28. The apparatus ofclaim 22, wherein:said first compartment includes an exhaust orifice,having a pump aperture therein, extending therefrom; said secondcompartment includes a pump support flange; and said pump aperture isremovably received within said pump flange.
 29. The apparatus of claim22, wherein said first compartment is symmetrical.
 30. A substratesupport member positionable in a first compartment for receiving asubstrate thereon and further positionable to seal an opening extendingbetween the first compartment and a second compartment while positioningthe substrate for exposure to a process environment maintainable in thesecond compartment, comprising:an insulative base having a flangeportion engageable about the periphery of the opening extending betweenthe first compartment and the second compartment to provide the sealingof the opening at said periphery; a conductive member received on saidinsulative base and electrically biasable to form a cathode formaintaining a plasma within a gaseous environment maintainable in thesecond compartment; a wall extending from said insulative member andcircumscribing said conductive member; wherein said flange is locatedradially outwardly of said annular wall; further including a sealextending between said flange and the underside of the secondcompartment about the perimeter of the opening wherein said flangefurther includes a lip extending therefrom and receivable in a recessprovided therefor in the wall of the second compartment about theperiphery of said opening.
 31. The substrate support member of claim 30,wherein said lip is located radially inwardly of the position at whichsaid flange contacts said seal.
 32. An apparatus for processingsubstrates comprising:a first compartment having a process volume and avacuum port extending therefrom; a second compartment having a supportportion, said support portion having a pump mounting flange thereon; avacuum pump received on said flange; and said vacuum port extending intocommunication with said vacuum pump to enable use of said vacuum pump asa vacuum source for said first compartment.
 33. The apparatus of claim32, wherein said support portion is cantilevered from a side of saidsecond compartment.
 34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said vacuumport includes an exhaust orifice communicating with said process volumeof said first compartment and a sleeve extending inwardly of said pumpflange.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34, further including a throttlingportion interdisposed between said exhaust orifice and said sleeve. 36.The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said throttled orifice is throttledby the placement of a throttling member over selected portions of theentry of said exhaust orifice into said sleeve portion.
 37. Theapparatus of claim 36, wherein said throttling member is a poppet valve.38. The apparatus of claim 37, further including a gate valve disposedon said pump flange between said pump flange and said pump.
 39. Asubstrate processing chamber, comprising:a first compartment defining aprocess volume and a vacuum exhaust port to a pump aperture; a secondcompartment defining a containment volume; a common aperture extendingbetween said first compartment and said second compartment; a supportmember selectively positionable to receive a substrate thereon and toblock said common aperture while positioning a substrate to be exposedto a process environment in said process volume; and a cover disposedover said process volume; wherein said process volume and said vacuumexhaust port are configured from a single piece of material which can bereplaced separate from said second compartment.
 40. The substrateprocessing chamber of claim 39, wherein said common aperture extendsthrough a wall of the first compartment; andsaid wall is shared withsaid second compartment.
 41. The substrate processing chamber of claim39, wherein said process volume and exhaust port are configured from aconductive material.
 42. The substrate processing chamber of claim 41,wherein said support member includes an insulative portion and aconductive portion; andsaid insulative portion electrically isolatessaid conductive portion from contact with said process volume andexhaust port material.
 43. The substrate processing chamber of claim 42,wherein said conductive portion includes an electrode configured as acathode to support a plasma in said process volume.
 44. The substrateprocessing chamber of claim 43, wherein:said insulative portion includesa flange extending outwardly from said conductive portion; and saidflange is contacted with said first compartment when said support memberis positioned to position the substrate for exposure to a processenvironment maintainable in said process volume.
 45. The substratesupport member of claim 44 further including a seal member received onesaid first compartment about the periphery of said aperture andcontactable with said flange when said support member is positioned toposition the substrate for exposure to a process environmentmaintainable in said process volume.
 46. The substrate support member ofclaim 45, further including a circumferential recess extending about theperiphery of said aperture; anda circumferential lip extending from saidflange and receivable within said recess.
 47. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 46,wherein said circumferential lip is positionedradially inwardly of the position where said seal engages said flange.